How Facebook Affects Political Life in the World

Not only in Croatia, but in the world, Facebook has become a powerful means of gaining support and spreading political ideas and comments.

Facebook has opened the doors to another dimension of internet communication and socialisation, since it enabled spreading propaganda and sharing opinions fore efficiently than ever. Along with all the “banal” groups and movements initiated on the popular Facebook, there are several that stirred the public, such as the group started by Niksa Klecak from Croatia “I bet I can find 5,000 people who dislike Sanader” because of which he was taken in by police for questioning and his computer searched.

- This is a fundamental violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression – the president of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Zoran Milanovic, commented on Klecak’s arrest and events regarding Facebook the past several days.

There are also several examples from around the world that prove the strong influence of Facebook on the political life of the national, but also the global community.

Mubarak warned citizens of possible sanctions over protest 

This past June, according to the media, Egypt considered blocking Facebook due to anti-government protests in April and May, which were mostly coordinated via Facebook.

The protests were organised over growing fuel and food prices and the increasing gap between the rich and poor population. Allegedly 45 percent of the population survived on a wage of two dollars a day.

Workers of a factory in Mahalla planned a strike with the aim of getting a pay rise. A young woman, Esra Abd El-Fattah, used Facebook to gather as much support for the workers as possible, calling for a strike on the national level.

In May, a group on Facebook which advocated a national strike allegedly collected more than 150,000 members, but not before President Hosni Mubarak removed the threat by promising reforms and warning protesters of possible sanctions against them.

Canada achieved internet’s neutrality as a medium through Facebook  

At the same time, on the other side of the world, citizens of Canada initiated a protest via Facebook to maintain the neutrality of the internet. The protest attracted politicians from two leading parties, union leaders and individuals. A Canadian attorney, Michael Geist, commented on the growing importance of the internet and web sites such as Facebook in political life.

- Not only is the Internet increasingly the focus of policy advocacy, but it also serves as the platform to enable such advocacy – Findingdulcinea reported.

Facebook secures global protest against FARC and divided Columbians 

A protest held in 185 cities across the world this February against the activities of the Columbian rebel group FARC was organised through a group on Facebook that gathered more than 250,000 members.

The group was started by a group of young people who expressed their dissatisfaction with FARC, but it soon became a movement called “One Million Voices Against FARC which gathered people from all parts of the world protesting against abductions FARC often uses as a method of financing itself.

But the protest caused a rift among the Columbians. Many Columbians do not like the organisation just because they abduct people, but they want negotiations between the militant Marxists and the government, as well as efforts to restore peace.